Nine Professional Conversations to Change Our Schools

A Dashboard of Options
First Edition
William A. Sommers - Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Diane P. Zimmerman - Education Consultant
Nine Professional Conversations to Change Our Schools
May 2018 | 248 pages | Corwin
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eBook
ISBN: 9781506398471
Available from January 0001
Paperback
ISBN: 9781506398488
Available from January 0001

Description

Improve collective efficacy in schools through meaningful professional conversations   

As technology substitutes for face-to-face connections, educators can feel like they’re practicing their craft in isolation. Nine Professional Conversations to Change Our Schools is a framework for revitalizing the art of the professional conversation. It guides educators through structures for collaboration, offers access to vast storehouses of applied wisdom, and facilitates a coherent knowledge base for standards of excellence. Readers will find 

  • nine conversational strategies designed to promote collective teacher efficacy 
  • learning scenarios that demonstrate the effectiveness of these conversations in action 
  • accessible Conversational Dashboard that assists in analyzing conditions for success 

Face-to-face conversational skill is a fundamental foundation for establishing effective relationships and collaboration. Drawing from their rich careers with coaching and facilitation, the authors of this book offer strategies that will expand your conversational repertoire and provide insight into how to respond meaningfully in an ever-changing environment. 

Contents

Foreword

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

About the Authors

Dedication

Dedication

Epigraphs

Epigraphs

Introduction

Introduction

Part I: The Foundation—Conversational Competence

  • Chapter 1: A Crisis in Our Midst—No Coherent Knowledge Base
  • Chapter 2: The Disadvantage of Being Left Behind— A Knowing–Doing–Learning Gap
  • Chapter 3: Emotional Blocks to Collective Efficacy— How Stress Shuts Down Communication

Part II: Conversations Designed to Build Knowledge Coherence From the Inside Out

  • Chapter 4: Reflective Conversations—The Fundamental Professional Act
  • Chapter 5: Humble Inquiry—Exploring Needs Instead of Helping
  • Chapter 6: Cognitive Coaching—Lingering in Conversations to Learn
  • Chapter 7: SCARF—Open to Diverse Viewpoints

Part III: Calibrating Conversations—Conversations at the Tipping Point From Outside In

  • Chapter 8: Stakeholder Centered Coaching— Expanding Consciousness

Part IV: Conversations Designed to Build Knowledge From the Outside In

  • Chapter 9: Positive Deviance—Mining for Group Gold
  • Chapter 10: From Conflict to Consensus— The Chadwick Process
  • Chapter 11: FRISK—Making Expectations Clear
  • Chapter 12: MOVE—Time to Move On

Part V: Final Musings—Making Unrealized Dreams Come True

  • Chapter 13: Leaving Knowledge Legacies

Appendix

Appendix

References

References

Index

Index

Description

Improve collective efficacy in schools through meaningful professional conversations   

As technology substitutes for face-to-face connections, educators can feel like they’re practicing their craft in isolation. Nine Professional Conversations to Change Our Schools is a framework for revitalizing the art of the professional conversation. It guides educators through structures for collaboration, offers access to vast storehouses of applied wisdom, and facilitates a coherent knowledge base for standards of excellence. Readers will find 

  • nine conversational strategies designed to promote collective teacher efficacy 
  • learning scenarios that demonstrate the effectiveness of these conversations in action 
  • accessible Conversational Dashboard that assists in analyzing conditions for success 

Face-to-face conversational skill is a fundamental foundation for establishing effective relationships and collaboration. Drawing from their rich careers with coaching and facilitation, the authors of this book offer strategies that will expand your conversational repertoire and provide insight into how to respond meaningfully in an ever-changing environment. 

Contents

Foreword

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

About the Authors

Dedication

Dedication

Epigraphs

Epigraphs

Introduction

Introduction

Part I: The Foundation—Conversational Competence

  • Chapter 1: A Crisis in Our Midst—No Coherent Knowledge Base
  • Chapter 2: The Disadvantage of Being Left Behind— A Knowing–Doing–Learning Gap
  • Chapter 3: Emotional Blocks to Collective Efficacy— How Stress Shuts Down Communication

Part II: Conversations Designed to Build Knowledge Coherence From the Inside Out

  • Chapter 4: Reflective Conversations—The Fundamental Professional Act
  • Chapter 5: Humble Inquiry—Exploring Needs Instead of Helping
  • Chapter 6: Cognitive Coaching—Lingering in Conversations to Learn
  • Chapter 7: SCARF—Open to Diverse Viewpoints

Part III: Calibrating Conversations—Conversations at the Tipping Point From Outside In

  • Chapter 8: Stakeholder Centered Coaching— Expanding Consciousness

Part IV: Conversations Designed to Build Knowledge From the Outside In

  • Chapter 9: Positive Deviance—Mining for Group Gold
  • Chapter 10: From Conflict to Consensus— The Chadwick Process
  • Chapter 11: FRISK—Making Expectations Clear
  • Chapter 12: MOVE—Time to Move On

Part V: Final Musings—Making Unrealized Dreams Come True

  • Chapter 13: Leaving Knowledge Legacies

Appendix

Appendix

References

References

Index

Index

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Nine Professional Conversations to Change Our Schools

A Dashboard of Options


May 2018 | 248 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/02/2026 9781506398488 $37.95
Lifetime 01/02/2026 9781506398471 $35.00

Improve collective efficacy in schools through meaningful professional conversations   

As technology substitutes for face-to-face connections, educators can feel like they’re practicing their craft in isolation. Nine Professional Conversations to Change Our Schools is a framework for revitalizing the art of the professional conversation. It guides educators through structures for collaboration, offers access to vast storehouses of applied wisdom, and facilitates a coherent knowledge base for standards of excellence. Readers will find 

  • nine conversational strategies designed to promote collective teacher efficacy 
  • learning scenarios that demonstrate the effectiveness of these conversations in action 
  • accessible Conversational Dashboard that assists in analyzing conditions for success 

Face-to-face conversational skill is a fundamental foundation for establishing effective relationships and collaboration. Drawing from their rich careers with coaching and facilitation, the authors of this book offer strategies that will expand your conversational repertoire and provide insight into how to respond meaningfully in an ever-changing environment. 


Table Of Contents:

  • Foreword
  • Acknowledgments
  • About the Authors
  • Dedication
  • Epigraphs
  • Introduction
  • Part I: The Foundation—Conversational Competence
  • Chapter 1: A Crisis in Our Midst—No Coherent Knowledge Base
  • Chapter 2: The Disadvantage of Being Left Behind— A Knowing–Doing–Learning Gap
  • Chapter 3: Emotional Blocks to Collective Efficacy— How Stress Shuts Down Communication
  • Part II: Conversations Designed to Build Knowledge Coherence From the Inside Out
  • Chapter 4: Reflective Conversations—The Fundamental Professional Act
  • Chapter 5: Humble Inquiry—Exploring Needs Instead of Helping
  • Chapter 6: Cognitive Coaching—Lingering in Conversations to Learn
  • Chapter 7: SCARF—Open to Diverse Viewpoints
  • Part III: Calibrating Conversations—Conversations at the Tipping Point From Outside In
  • Chapter 8: Stakeholder Centered Coaching— Expanding Consciousness
  • Part IV: Conversations Designed to Build Knowledge From the Outside In
  • Chapter 9: Positive Deviance—Mining for Group Gold
  • Chapter 10: From Conflict to Consensus— The Chadwick Process
  • Chapter 11: FRISK—Making Expectations Clear
  • Chapter 12: MOVE—Time to Move On
  • Part V: Final Musings—Making Unrealized Dreams Come True
  • Chapter 13: Leaving Knowledge Legacies
  • Appendix
  • References
  • Index

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